First it was the built-in Maps feature, next it was the iCloud and Wi-Fi issue, and to top it all off, the purple haze effect in the camera. Apple has had a bumpy ride since the inception of iPhone 5 and iOS 6, and now, with the new iOS 6 App Store in place, app developers are having a tough time.
Per reports, app developers are currently facing problems with the new App Store that arrived with iOS 6. According to the developers, the new App Store favors established and recognized studios and does not provide enough visibility or exposure to independent developers.
According to the developers, the major problem with the new App Store is that it lacks the option to Sort by Release Date. Currently, tabs for games are restricted to paid, free, and top grossing.
"For a small developer, this is terrible news," said developer Chris Newman. "Although it's only for a short period, the 'new release' exposure is extremely valuable. It's our opportunity to grab people's attention, build the initial user base and gauge the public's reaction without needing to spend a fortune on marketing."
Newman further states that the new system only provides exposure to titles that are already in the charts, and there is no way for a new app to break through. Moreover, absolutely no means for an indie app developer's product to be discovered exists, unless a user is linked to the specific app directly, or if it is being searched by the name.
Newman also criticized the new search results window in the iOS 6 App Store. According to him, before the arrival of iOS 6, users could easily flick through Search Results of five apps per page. However, the new update changed all that and as a result, the Search Results now only show one app per page.
"This is a massive distortion of exposure towards the already-successful apps," said Newman. "Those that are top of the search results (we assume, although we don't know, because they are popular) are placed full screen in a user's face. To get further down the list requires effort. A lot of effort."
This issue with apps is a brand new problem for the company, especially when the App Store is among the most popular offerings from Apple, and a lot of developers work hard to bring their applications to the forefront via the store.
